Toy Association Praises House Introduction of INFORM Act

October 5, 2021 | The Toy Association lauds today’s introduction of a bipartisan INFORM Consumers Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, which requires online marketplaces to disclose certain verified information regarding high-volume third-party sellers of consumer products such as toys, was introduced by House Judiciary Chairwoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Ranking Member Gus Bilirakis (R-FL).

The bill will be included in a legislative hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee next Wednesday, October 13.

“The bipartisan support of this legislation reaffirms what The Toy Association and our member companies have been tirelessly advocating— counterfeit and stolen products in online marketplaces present a tangible threat to the families and children we serve as well as to legitimate sellers as the situation has only continued to worsen,” said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “We welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with these groups through the Buy Safe Coalition to secure legislative action in the pursuit of eliminating this persistent danger.”

The newly drafted legislation is also empowering multiple state Attorneys General to enforce compliance of the new statute and pursue civil actions against any online marketplace that violates the new law. Many are applying direct pressure to the individuals responsible through the establishment of task forces that focus squarely on prosecuting the criminals that sell their illicit products on marketplaces and have called for the INFORM Consumers Act to be signed into law.

The Toy Association’s external affairs team continues to work with state and federal leaders to move these Intellectual Property (IP)-related bills forward, including the INFORM Consumers Act and the SHOP SAFE Act. Both bills incorporate recommendations from The Toy Association’s 2020 IP White Paper, Taking Fake Toys Offline: A 2020 Focus on Proactive Measures to Reduce Counterfeits and Unsafe Toys Sold on Online Marketplaces, which highlights the importance of increased seller vetting and consumer transparency that third-party marketplaces should have in place to protect families from potentially dangerous counterfeits sold online.

Toy Association members who want to become involved in these advocacy efforts are encouraged to reach out to Leigh Moyers, senior manager of federal government affairs at The Toy Association (lmoyers@toyassociation.org), for more information.